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8:00am

Film is a legitimate if nontraditional kind of text, worth “reading” closely to probe ideas, issues, and values that strengthen comprehension and interpretive capabilities. Learn how to establish meaningful and critical viewing, structure Socratic discourse around films as text, and discover how the seminar format fulfills Montessori’s vision of valorization, social independence, and group cooperation.

8:00am

Learn how to bring the “real world” into your Secondary science program using place-based, experiential learning. View student projects and examine standards-based curricula developed around the watersheds and prairies at one Texas school. You’ll leave with tools to uncover the unique features of your community and environment that can be used to support scientific inquiry.

Amanda Stone Norton, PhD, is a former middle school teacher at Montessori School of Fort Worth, TX, and an award-winning author of children’s books emphasizing the child’s connection to nature. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I – II).

2:00pm

Have you ever been so focused on what you wanted to say next that you weren't really listening? Ever said something you regretted? If you can answer “yes” to either question (as most of us can!), come learn about reception, expression, and an overlooked element of communication—presence—as well as the small, sophisticated shifts we can make, and teach to adolescents, that can fine-tune our interactions with others.

Marta Donahoe, MEd, is director of professional development for Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program, in Cincinnati, OH. The founder of Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School, in Cincinnati, she is a certified Mindful Schools instructor. AMS-credentialed... Read More →

4:00pm

Montessori “care of the environment” in the early years lays the foundation for adolescents to address big environmental issues. Come review this unfolding process and explore concrete ideas for meaningful adolescent ecological stewardship. You’ll learn how students can make real changes both locally and globally to create a more sustainable world and propel themselves toward valorization as they do.

Megan Knight is a science teacher at Green School, in Bali, Indonesia. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I–II). Before her stint abroad, Megan taught math and science in the adolescent program at Richmond Montessori School for five years.

8:00am

Join a New York Times journalist and a Montessori educator in conversation about how to help students navigate the media landscape, including the Internet and social media, where even adults struggle to discern between credible sources, ”fake news,“ and opinion. You’ll receive lesson plans and other empowering resources for teaching current events and arming students for responsible participation in this critical aspect of global citizenry.

Susan Kambrich, MEd, is the interim chair of the Heads of School section of the AMS Board of Directors, where she also serves as board treasurer. Susan is the head of Woodland Hill Montessori School, in Rensselaer, NY, and a board member of the New York State Association of Independent... Read More →

8:00am

Enhance Mathematics through dynamic student presentations that deepen reasoning and logic skills. Such demonstrations of learning, like those common in the humanities, ignite students’ inspiration, creativity, and confident internalization of understanding. Come discover how to help students ask the right questions to undertake independent work, and examine practical resources like rubrics and sample projects.

8:00am

This presentation will explore Montessori’s vision of dynamic, real-world field experiences for adolescents. Come explore the whys, whats, and hows of successful, powerful intersessions, or even just day trips. You’ll leave with information and materials that will help you enjoy the experience as much as your students—including experience checklists, student self-evaluation sheets, and reflection sheets.

Jack M. Jose, MS, is principal of Gamble Montessori, a public high school in Cincinnati, OH, and co-author of the book Angels and Superheroes: Compassionate Educators in an Era of School Accountability and the cult favorite blog at www.angelsandsuperheroes.com . AMS-credentialed (Secondary... Read More →

Krista Taylor, MSEd, is an intervention specialist and co-teacher at James N. Gamble Montessori High School, in Cincinnati, OH, and an instructor and field consultant at the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I–II).

2:00pm

This workshop will explore how role-play—acting out another person’s identity or situation—deepens learning while offering opportunities to increase self-awareness, explore multiple viewpoints, and practice social skills, all with immediate and natural peer feedback. Learn how to use simulations like Model UN, the World Peace Game, and mock trials to support the Cosmic curriculum; foster research, critical thinking, and argumentation; and even to use as an assessment tool.

2:00pm

Teachers in Montessori public schools work tirelessly to cover all the standards and prepare for state exams while maintaining the authenticity of a Montessori classroom. This presentation will offer pointers and encouragement to trust the Montessori process, with specific examples of lesson planning, student accountability, time management, coaching, and group work that have proved successful in established public and charter Montessori middle school programs.

4:00pm

Learn how you can best support a Montessori Secondary environment that is inclusive of diverse learners, including those with exceptionalities. This workshop will offer strategies for utilizing assessments, preparing your classroom for all learners, and differentiating lesson plans and instruction. You’ll also explore ideas for professional teaming and learn to be a better observer and record keeper in your classroom.

4:00pm

You’ll be on your feet in this active workshop, experiencing and learning about group initiatives as a means to deepen the relationships within your classroom community. Learn how to guide team-building exercises for groups of all sizes as well as how to elicit robust processing so your students can apply what they learn to other experiences.

Brandt Smith, MEd, is an instructor at the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program and is the student academy director at Leadership Scholars, also in Cincinnati, OH, a nonprofit that empowers students and parents with mindfulness and college readiness. AMS-credentialed... Read More →

4:00pm

This workshop will give a framework for service learning and its 3 distinct and equally important components—education, direct service, and reflection—which are all necessary to help individuals move from volunteers to active citizens. You’ll learn how to create and sustain a thriving program that supports social justice and character development while giving students ownership of meaningful and impactful projects.

I love to read, write and run. I'm a huge lover of people, animals and desserts. While I live in Washington state, I'm a Boston girl and love all Boston sports. I love hiking with my family and I find any excuse to be silly. | | Aimee Allen, MEd, is head of Harbor Montessori School... Read More →

4:00pm

This workshop will cover the nuts and bolts of creating an investigative science classroom—one in which the students are the scientists and the lab belongs to them. Learn how to cultivate their deep understanding of the scientific process and nurture a profound sense of capacity to contribute to the world around them.

Megan Knight is a science teacher at Green School, in Bali, Indonesia. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I–II). Before her stint abroad, Megan taught math and science in the adolescent program at Richmond Montessori School for five years.

10:15am

This workshop will explore the achievement of social justice through democratic classrooms, wherein individual student needs are nested among the needs of others and where the adolescent’s sense of self is forged through multiple perspectives and meaningful relationships. Learn how to provide the sense of connected purpose that liberates students to reach their fullest potential.

Alissa Stolz, MEd, is an Adolescent classroom teacher and Middle School program director at Montessori Family School in Berkeley, CA, as well as a teacher educator for the Houston Montessori Center, in Houston, TX. AMS-credentialed (Secondary I–II).